Despite – or maybe because of – the glorious scoring blowout, the New Orleans Saints’ landslide victory over the Indianapolis Colts on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” managed to hold a huge local audience throughout the game. According to Nielsen overnight ratings released by NBC, New Orleans led the nation in viewership of the Oct. 23 game with a 50.9 average rating (with each rating point equaling 1 percent of all local households tuned to the game, or about 6,440 homes) and a 66 share (percentage of viewership in homes with a set in use).

MICHAEL DeMOCKER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNENew Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) scores a his second TD in the third quarter as Indianapolis Colts strong safety David Caldwell (30) tries to defend during the game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts at the Superdome on Sunday, October 23, 2011.

The game was carried locally by WDSU-TV.

The Indianapolis market finished a distant second, with a 27.1 rating and 40 share.

The rest of the overnight top ten markets:

3. Norfolk, 12.6/18

4. Baltimore, 12.0/19

5. Richmond, 11.8/16

6. Las Vegas, 11.6/18

7. Atlanta, 11.2/17

8. Albuquerque, 10.9/16

9. Nashville, 10.8/15

10. Kansas City, 10.1/14

Nationally, the preliminary average rating for the game was 8.2, with a 13 share. Total-viewer numbers will be released later Monday (Oct. 24).

Game four of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers won the night with a 10.1 rating and 16 share.

NBC’s broadcast of the much more competitive Saints-Green Bay Packers season-opening game, played in Green Bay, averaged a 17.2 rating/28 share nationally and a 57.5 rating/75 share locally on WDSU.